Witnesses describe chaos at Bastille Day attack

Witness describes panic in Nice, France

Witnesses to the Bastille Day attack in Nice, France describe how a night of public celebration transformed into a night of chaos, confusion and carnage.

Dozens of Bastile Day revelers, who'd gathered to watch the fireworks on the picturesque waterfront Promenade des Anglais, were killed when a truck drove on to the sidewalk and plowed through the crowd. The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, said the truck was loaded with arms and grenades and the driver was killed by police.

Maryam Violet was dining with friends on the other side of the promenade when the sudden attack took place.

"We saw a huge amount of crowd shouting and screaming, running towards us, and going to the back streets. We were shocked. We didn't know what was going on," Violet told CBS News via phone. Making her way closer to the scene of the attack, Violent counted at least 30 lifeless bodies on the street but could tell the death toll was greater than that, she said.

"We were walking very slow, and trying to comfort people," she said, adding that several families on holiday were clearly among the many victims.

"I'm still shocked, and people are scared," she said.

Video of the attack circulating on social media shows a surreal scene, with fireworks continuing in the background as survivors run towards safety.

Journalist on scene during France attack

Journalist Hassan Morajea spoke to CBS News while still at the promenade, one barricade away from the site of the attack, he said. Hours since the attack, he said bystanders were still trickling out of the area in a daze. Some bystanders had barricaded themselves in the restaurants and casinos they were in after hearing the sounds of the attack, he said.

"People are coming out, looking pretty frightened," he said.

He said the attacker's truck was white, and looked like a moving truck.

"It's still very unclear who this guy was, whether he was working alone, whether there was anyone else in the truck," Morojea said.

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